This Is the World

Who says you need to move in order to travel? Partly out of necessity, our imagination is helping us out a lot during this period, but this too can help us on our way: a grand tour of stunning illustrations, on a journey through about fifteen nations around the world. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Miroslav Sasek portrayed the liveliness and enchantment of some of the most beautiful cities, with a sense of humour and a keen eye. His subjects included Venice, San Francisco, Paris, and London, and he also looked at entire countries, capturing their inner essence. His publications were then gathered together for the first time in this book, which catapults us from the glittering lights of Times Square to the peace and quiet of Irish castles, from the bay of Hong Kong to the Acropolis in Athens, by way of the Colosseum. All of this is embellished with a series of curious insights into the local art, the flora and fauna, and amusing aspects of local society. For those who do not know him, Sasek was born in Prague in the early twentieth century and became a master of illustration. His images bring us the thrill of these places, which now seem so far away, as we wait to be able to go off and see them. Questo è il mondo Miroslav Sasek Rizzoli, 2015